DLA TEACHER LEADERS

At Dayton Leadership Academies, our teachers lead with purpose — in their classrooms, throughout our school, and within the broader field of education. Their dedication to excellence, collaboration, and growth drives our mission forward every day.

DLA teachers are leaders in classrooms. They set ambitious goals, invest students in achieving the goals, and work together to achieve them. 

DLA teachers are leaders in the school. They serve on the school leadership team and lead the way for colleagues as department chairs and house team leads. 

DLA teachers are leaders in the field of education. They serve as cooperating teachers with university partners and presented at state and national conferences. 

2024-2025 STAFF PROFILE

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Returning Teachers
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5+ Years of Teacher Experience
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Teachers of Color
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Returning Administrative Team

Teacher Development

At DLA we believe our students’ achievements are the direct result of our teachers’ effectiveness. We believe teachers are leaders who are responsible for their students’ success. The more skilled and accomplished our teachers are, the more proficient and high achieving our students will be. 

  • Thus, we invest heavily in teacher development through: 

    • Ongoing professional development aligned to the DLA Teacher Performance Rubric  

    • Training on evidence-based practices that align with our school model and priorities, such as data-driven instruction, balanced literacy, effective writing instruction, and project-based learning 

    • Opportunities to practice techniques and strategies and receive feedback from academic coach and peers

    • Weekly opportunities to collaborate with grade level team, department team, and the intervention team

    • Frequent classroom observations and 1-on-1 coaching for co-planning, data analysis, and action planning 

Data-Driven Growth

At DLA, collaboration and continuous improvement are at the heart of teacher development. Our educators work together weekly to share strategies, analyze data, and align instruction — ensuring that every student experiences consistent expectations and high-quality teaching across grade levels.

  • Grade level teams meet at least once a week during planning periods with a focus on classroom culture, student investment, and student achievement. The goal of GLMs is for teacher-based teams to norm on routines, procedures, and expectations to provide consistency for students across the grade level. Meetings have an agenda, are facilitated by the academic team, and notes are shared. As part of the data-driven instruction cycle, once a month GLMs are Data Team Meetings when teachers analyze common assessments and identify re-teach strategies. As part of the RTI process, once a quarter GLMs are Student Success Team meetings to discuss student concerns and identify interventions to implement. 

  • Grade level teams meet at least once a week during planning periods to study the curriculum and co-plan lessons. The goal of co-planning meetings is for teacher teams to collaborate and share ideas for effective instruction. In K-3rd grades, teachers review all subject lesson plans for the following week and prepare materials to use. In 4th-8th grades, teachers discuss cross-curricular strategies for close reading, writing, and vocabulary instruction, as well as plan content for Morning Meeting/Advisory. 

Professional Growth

At Dayton Leadership Academies, we believe that great teaching is a continual process of learning, reflection, and shared growth. Our professional development model provides teachers with frequent opportunities to collaborate, receive feedback, and strengthen their instructional practice — all in service of improving student outcomes.

  • It is important for teachers to come together regularly as a community of learners to improve their craft. During Monthly Collaboration from 1:00–4:00 p.m., DLA teachers meet to learn, collaborate, practice, and plan. The academic team and department chairs plan and facilitate Monthly Collaboration. Agendas and supporting documents are shared in advance and teacher-created plans are posted afterwards. Monthly Collaboration includes time for:

    1. Department Teams to learn and practice evidence-based instructional strategies based on DLA’s non-negotiables

    2. Teacher-Based Teams (HR and intervention teachers) to implement the data-driven instruction cycle of analyzing assessments and creating action plans to re-teach

    3. House Teams to check in on school culture expectations including social-emotional learning, common procedures/routines, and student celebrations

  • DLA plans and facilitates three professional development days in August before school starts and three professional development days during the school year. The content of these days is driven by our school goals, priorities, and student achievement data. Agendas and supporting documents are provided in advance.

    Sessions are focused on objectives and include time for data analysis, analyzing student work, co-planning, and collaboration. Sessions are led by DLA school leaders, teacher leaders, and outside expert trainers.

  • Research shows that when a teacher receives frequent observation and feedback, the teacher develops as much in one year as most teachers do in twenty years. Our goal for coaching is to find the most effective way to coach teachers to improve student learning.

    Coaching is differentiated based on teacher performance and learning styles using the four coaching stances: calibrating, consulting, collaborating, and coaching. This means some teachers will participate in weekly coaching meetings while other teachers may participate in coaching meetings once a month.

    Coaching sessions may include:

    • Coach and teacher co-planning lessons

    • Coach modeling strategies in the teacher’s class

    • Coach providing feedback from classroom observation

    • Coach and teacher sharing reflections on a lesson recorded and shared via Torsh Talent platform

    • Coach and teacher analyzing student work and assessment data

    • Coach and teacher developing action plans with next steps

At DLA, professional learning is continuous, collaborative, and mission-driven. Whether through weekly team meetings, targeted coaching, or focused professional development, our goal remains the same — to empower every teacher with the skills, support, and confidence to help every student thrive.

DLA JOIN THE TEAM

At Dayton Leadership Academies, we believe that exceptional teachers and staff make exceptional schools. We are committed to creating a supportive, collaborative environment where educators can grow professionally, feel valued, and make a lasting difference in the lives of our students.

  • A woman and an older man are standing at a table looking at and handling colorful posters or artwork. The woman is wearing overalls and the man has a multicolored scarf on his neck. The setting appears to be an art gallery or studio with various posters and photos on the walls, including a calendar on the back wall showing May 2025.

    Collaboration & Celebration

    We foster staff collaboration and celebrate success. At DLA, teachers and staff work together to share ideas, solve challenges, and support one another. We believe that collaboration builds stronger instruction and a positive school culture where every success is recognized and celebrated.

  • A woman with glasses and gray hair wearing a patterned dress, speaking or explaining to three young males standing in a row inside a room with framed pictures on the wall.

    Professional Growth & Training

    Training on research-based, high-impact practices that align with our school model and priorities, such as data-driven instruction, balanced literacy, reading comprehension and writing strategies, and project-based learning.

  • Five people standing in a hallway, smiling, wearing matching maroon shirts.

    Ongoing Development & Feedback

    We provide high-quality professional development via feedback through frequent coaching and mentoring, weekly grade-level and house team meetings, and seven professional development days driven by staff needs and input.

  • Preschool classroom with children sitting at tables, raising red cups in celebration, and a teacher sitting in the back.

    Technology-Driven Teaching

    We offer a range of instructional technology — 1-to-1 student Chromebooks, SmartBoards and document cameras in every classroom, Google Classroom for online assignments, two computer labs, and online learning software targeted to students’ needs.

Benefits Package

Our employees are our most valuable asset. Each employee is an integral part of our school’s success. As such, it is our goal to attract, motivate, and retain top talent by providing a comprehensive and competitive benefits package for all full-time employees, including:

  • Medical, dental, and vision coverage

  • State retirement plan

  • Vacation, holiday and medical paid time off

  • Performance bonus plan

Apply Online

Interested in joining the DLA Team?

 Visit our Career Center to view all open positions and apply online today.